Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV (abbreviated EU4 or EUIV) is a grand strategy computer game created by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. It was released for the PC on Windows, OS X, and Linux on 13 August, 2013. Much of the game's setting is based in the historical era of initial European exploration and colonization of the New World. The game opens at the tail end of the Hundred Years' War and the decline of the Byzantine Empire and continues through to the revolutionary periods of the United States and France, and concludes a few years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Players assume control of a nation, seeking glory through exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy, dramatically altering the course of history in the process. The 4X genre EU4 is within the "4X" genre of games, because it permits a player to 'eXplore,' 'eXpand,' 'eXploit' and 'eXterminate.' Players can choose to play single-player mode versus the AI, or multiplayer over a LAN or the Internet against a mix of human and AI opponents. * Exploration is dealt with by the use of terra incognita covering much of the world at game start. Players must hire explorers and conquistadors to travel into the unknown parts of the world. Or, after sufficient time has past, world geography may be revealed as common knowledge through events. * Expansion is dealt with through a few different mechanics. Players may diplomatically gain territory, which can lead to the inheritance of an entire country. They may also militarily conquer territory through warfare. Revolts of nearby provinces can also add territory to your nation if you share a common cause, such as having the same culture as the revolutionaries. Lastly, territory can also be gained as part of a program of colonization. * Exploitation of the world is accomplished mostly through the management of your national economy and the control of international trade. Players can also make exploits through the use of espionage. * Extermination, a euphemism for warfare, can be conducted on both land and sea. Land armies and naval fleets can engage in battles, led by generals and admirals. The successful conduct of a war is measured through war score. Upon reaching a certain threshold in war score, the loser can sue for peace or the winner may be able to impose their own peace terms, which may include outright conquest and annexation. Game features * Take your own decisions: Nation building is flexible: decide your own form of government, the structure of your society, trade politics and more. The possibilities are endless. * Use your Monarch Power: Experience the new system of monarch power where your spread of choices is influenced by the caliber of the man you have at the top. Do you have a warrior King? Then it is time to make war. *Experience history coming to life: The great people and personalities of the past are on hand to support you. Thousands of historical events guide you, with unique different flavor depending on the country you play. Have more than a thousand historical leaders and over 4000 historical Monarchs at your disposal. * The world is now your playground: Players can enjoy over 300 years of gameplay in a lush topographic map in full 3D. Lead any one of more than 250 countries that originally existed during the game's extensive time span. * Experience the all new trade system: The trade system adds a new dimension to the great trade empires of the period. Seize control of key ports to expand your trade, support it with your powerful fleet and the wealth of the world will flow to you. *Bring out your diplomatic skills: Deeper diplomatic gameplay, with coalitions, threats, fleet basing rights and detailed support for rebels. Introducing unilateral opinions, a country may dislike you, but you can be neutral towards them. * Engage in Multiplayer: Battle against your friends or try co-operative multiplayer mode that allows several players to work together to control a single nation for up to 32 players. Featuring hotjoin, improved chat, new matchmaking server and support for a standalone server. * Create your own history & customize your game: Europa Universalis IV gives you the chance to customize and mod practically anything your heart may desire. * New Score system to allow comparison across multiple games. Scenarios Paradox chose 12 important dates in history as starting points (called "scenarios" or "bookmarks") for campaigns. The first four scenarios are set during the same date, and each scenario description is simply meant to add flavour to specific areas of the world. Players are also free to chose any date in the historical period covered as their own launching point for a game. Technical information The game was developed on the Clausewitz 2.5 Engine, which it shares in common with Crusader Kings II. It is available for both Microsoft Windows PCs, Macintosh OS X and Linux operating systems. System requirements As taken from the EU4 manual. In most cases, the "minimum system requirements" are the same as the "recommended system requirements" except as noted below. Microsoft Windows * Versions: Windows 7/Windows 8 64-bit * Processor: Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ * Memory: 2 GB RAM * Hard disk space: 2 GB HD Space * Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon® X1900, 1024mb video memory recommended (512mb video memory required minimum) * Sound Card: Direct X-compatible soundcard * DirectX®: 9.0c *Controller support: 3-button mouse, keyboard and speakers * Special multiplayer requirements: Internet Connection or LAN for multiplayer * Multiplayer: Up to 32 other players in multiplayer mode Macintosh OS X * Versions: Mac OS X 10.9 or better * Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2 GHz or better) * Memory: 2 GB RAM * Hard disk space: 2 GB * Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 6750 / NVIDIA GeForce 320 / NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or higher, 1024MB graphics memory required. * Additional: GLSL 1.3, OpenGL 2.1 * Controller support: "3-button mouse," keyboard and speakers * Special multiplayer requirements: Internet Connection or LAN for multiplayer * Multiplayer: Up to 32 other players in multiplayer mode Linux * Versions: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS * Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2 GHz or better) * Memory: 2 GB RAM * Hard disk space: 2 GB * Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 6750 / NVIDIA GeForce 320 / NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or higher, 1024MB graphics memory required. * Additional: GLSL 1.3, OpenGL 2.1 * Controller support: 3-button mouse, keyboard and speakers * Special multiplayer requirements: Internet Connection or LAN for multiplayer * Multiplayer: Up to 32 other players in multiplayer mode Dev diaries References * Patches * Controls * Europa Universalis IV Forum at Paradoxplaza.com * Europa Universalis IV Manual at Steam Category:Europa Universalis 4